Hi folks,

I haven't been writing about pigs because, well, I haven't had pigs to write about. Livvy, Tasha and Rocky went to Oswego County Guinea Pig Rescue to find new homes this summer, and I have since been pigless.

I am going to leave this blog intact so that those of you who use it for reference may continue to do so :) and I may make an occasional post here or there if something comes to mind.

Also my etsy shop kind of dropped out of existence in the same manner as the blog, mostly because when I moved I didn't really have the means anymore to keep it going, and my priorities changed. I am considering getting it up and running again [I have a TON of leftover fabric] but I wouldn't be able to do custom things, just pre-mades. I will still donate to OCGPR a percentage of the proceeds.

If you guys have any questions or suggestions my ears are open!

News.

The Re-homing.

I found someone who wants to adopt all four of the pigs. She is an hour and a half away and we're driving to meet her tomorrow.

Sophie-Mo.

Mo's health has been on a slow but steady decline. A recent trip to the vet revealed that it's due to old age. She currently weighs in at a frail 1lb 4oz, which is less than she has ever weighed. When I got her in '07 she was around 2lbs, before she started losing weight she was around 1lb 9oz.

This morning just as I was leaving for work I saw Livvy, Tasha and Rocky all gathered around the food dish eating their breakfast. My white fluff was nowhere to be seen. Oh no.

She was laying under the hay rack, not interested in food at all. My poor lady. I eventually was able to convince her that pellets were delicious and this evening when I got home, I made her some home-made Critical Care mash with Sweet Meadow pellets, endive, maroon carrots, organic blueberries,[all of her faves] and a tiny bit of Bragg's Apple Cider Vinegar. She is currently chowing down, but still not doing great.

Oh deary me.

Usually when I haven't written in a while, I make some comment about what a bad blogger I am or how things have changed drastically.

They have. I am having to do something I never thought I'd have to do.

I have to say good-bye to half of my herd.

Yes, it's true. I feel like a terrible pet owner but the truth is, I should probably have done this a long time ago, when they were younger. It would have been much easier on all parties involved.

There are several reasons why I need to do this.

1.] I am allergic to them. And not just a little. Sneezing, runny nose, itchy mouth/eyes, watery eyes, etc. are not just symptoms I get when I touch one of them, pick them up or hold them. I have them all the time. I have been miserable since we moved out of the yellow house in the beginning of February. I am also allergic to the hay, but not as bad.

2.] I don't have the space. I've had to split them up and most of them are living in pet store cages. No one is in an adequately sized cage right now. This makes changing their cages even worse because that's when I start sneezing horrendously and the mucous starts a-flowin'. Having to go through that once is bad enough, but having to go through it five times is a nightmare. I take allergy medication on the day that I change their cages, which helps a little, but not much.

3.] I am physically not able to care for all of them. I was supposed to have a surgery on my ankle to remove built-up scar tissue from an old injury. I have been delaying it for over a year due to lack of insurance. It has been slowly getting more and more painful to walk. I cannot take pain medication for it, as even the strongest of doses does just about nothing. Every time I have to change their water, feed them, play with them, etc. I have to go up and down a flight of stairs, which is very difficult for me. I don't know when I will have the surgery but even after that I won't be able to walk for about a month.

4.] None of this will change any time soon. I am not able to care for all of my cavies, and I am not doing right by them keeping them in their current conditions. Sophie-Mo, Rocky, Natasha, and Olive will be staying with me and I hope to get a good-sized cage built for them as soon as I can, and get them back on fleece, which should help.

You can see their Guinea Pig Home page here.

After quite the [unannounced] hiatus, I'm back! For now I am taking it easy on etsy and I'm going to try and just focus on blogging for now.

Hey! Exciting news!

I am considering having a monthly/bi-monthly Guest Blogger. Someone who writes another blog, be it small or fairly big, writing an article of their choosing [relating to guinea pigs, or at the very least pets]. I'll start an archive of these guest bloggings, which will be located on the lefthand sidebar. If you would like to be a Guest Blogger, please send me a sample of your work/website/blog, your name, and what your article subject would be. You can find my email at the Contact Info link on the lefthand sidebar.

For example, if I were entering my entry would be,

"Amy C., "Tasha's Tails" http://tashastails.blogspot.com

My article would be about home medical kits for small animals."

If chosen, you'll be given a minimum of 1 month's notice.

Also if you have not yet seen it, I have made a Bio page for the blog, go check it out! It's on the lefthand sidebar under "What Is This?"

And yes, I am still working on my medical kit post. :)

You should probably read this.

I've always had a pretty good idea of what my limits are. But sometimes you have to cross the line to know where the line is. I don't know what I was thinking, when I crossed the line, but it was probably something along the lines of "well, if I turn around here, I'm just a wimp." Yeah, guess what.

I'm not a wimp.

But I went from working 0 hours a week to 50-60. Plus being at the shelter. One of my jobs is extremely physically demanding, and my other job demands a lot of patience and focus, and I have to transfer from one to the other almost instantly [I have about 20 minutes to change and let my hair down]. I don't like complaining about having to work, because everyone has to work, and I don't respond well to sympathy. I hope that very soon I will not have to work more than perhaps 35 hours a week between both jobs. Until then, though, I won't be able to do much posting. And I am re-vamping my etsy shop. The focus will no longer be on custom items, and for the time being I've discontinued the piggy pads. I do hope to bring them back soon but I need to work on the design a bit. Few things are perfect the first time.

One last thing. I've stumbled upon a blog that is hauntingly similar to mine [formatting, writing style, topics, etc]. I'm not naming names, because I have more class than that. I just wanted to say that it's pretty childish to play copycat, and this borders on plagiarism. I don't understand the motivation behind it, but no matter.

I realize I'm not the first person to blog about cavy care, but when I make a blog post I like to think it's original. I don't take an existing post of someone else's, cleverly re-word it, and slap my name on it. Please stop being lame.

That's about as whiny and petty as this blog is gonna get, folks. Prepare for my upcoming post about our piggy first aid kit at the shelter, and at the yellow house.

What's Going On?!

Hi Everyone!

Life is busy these days in the yellow house. Some big decisions are being made, some big paychecks are being earned, and some big time-budget cuts are being made.

Rocky.

It looks like Rocky is a keeper. He is very old, that's for sure. He's probably lived his whole life alone, and lord knows how long he's been dealing with this impaction problem, but even with a big cage, a HAFF [Hay and Fresh Foods] diet and regular cleanings, I have to "squeeze" him at least once daily. My vet said that neutering him would have little if any effect on his chronic impactions. He is obviously uncomfortable, and I just want him to be comfortable and happy for the rest of his life.

Because I don't have the money right now to get Laika and Ferdie spayed, and because I'm not sure if I even really want to put them through that procedure unless absolutely necessary, AND because I do not want to mess up the "dynamic" of the sows' cage, I have decided that I am going to adopt a buddy for Rocky. Probably an older male (3-4). I would love a Peruvian if I had the choice.

Rocky's QT period is over, his URI has subsided and his infected rump is growing fur. He is moving into the girls' room for now, And I will work on building him a C&C cage and getting him a buddy within the next month.

Winnie and Milo.

Winston and Milo are doing very well at my mother's daycare. I call them my "satellite" pigs. The kids love them and are learning a lot and my mom is warming up to them. I will get some photos and do a special write-up about my take on guinea pigs in day cares, classrooms, and children's rooms someday soon.

Number Eight.

More on this story as it develops.

Meet Rocky Here.

Yummy New Fabrics

I went to Jo-Ann's last night after picking up my CSA goodies, and bought sooo much fabric. Mostly flannel prints, as I really need more selection in my shop. I bought a lucky 13 flannel prints, and I believe I got 5 new polar fleece prints. I do plan to go back, but I only had so much cash on hand. You can see my selection of flannels here. I was so excited... It's been a long time since I spent more than $40 in one place that wasn't the farmer's market or the grocery store. Special thanks to Chris, the nice cutting girl who was patient with me and talked to me about her guinea pig while her co-workers looked on in horror at the mountain of fabric on the cutting table.

More things to be happy about... I have secured two jobs, and neither one is going anywhere anytime soon. Eeeee I'm so happy! This dreary rainy gray day can suck it!

Milo and Winnie are back together!

And better than ever! After another buddy bath and an exhaustingly clean and odor-free cage, my two boys have decided that they can live together without tearing each other apart.

More posts to follow, as I was informed yesterday that I'm not working this week. For now, I don't have a problem with it. I can get my home life back in order.

A Cute Story for You All

Hi everyone!

Right now is a busy time for me-- I am working two jobs [finishing out my last two weeks at my old job and starting my new one] and sales in my etsy shop are picking up, which I'm very happy about. I'll soon be listing a lot more products, including C&C cage-sized Patchwork Piggy Pads, pre-made hammocks and snuggle bags, and soon, some solid-colored Piggy Pads, which will be less costly because there is much less time involved in making them.

Even though this blog is about guinea pigs, I'm sure most or all of us here are animal lovers, and I wanted to share a cute [and true] story with you.

Lately I have taken to eating supper on the front porch of the yellow house. Last night was no different. Just as I was sitting down to dinner, I heard the jingling of ID tags on a collar. I shot up out of my chair and looked out the side window. A black lab was in our driveway, sniffing at my tomatoes. I threw on my shoes and went out to grab him. "Hey dog. Come on, let's take you home." He trotted right over to me. And then I recognized him. A little more than a month ago I saw him hanging out on the porch of the vacant house across the street, his name is Bo. He lives a couple of blocks away.

I led him across the busy main road and up the hill to his home. He is very street-wise, and stopped immediately at the corner until it was safe to cross. On our way to his house, we passed a garbage can he had terrorized. When his owner opened the door she recognized me and asked me inside so I stepped in. It turns out she wants me to babysit her two school-age girls! We didn't talk extensively but she seemed to want me to babysit several days a week. She is a single working mom.

That dog got me a babysitting job. I could have just hugged him right there but he was busy stealing a roast beef sandwich off the table.

New posts soon to come this month:

How Do You Do It: Veggies part II

How Do You Do It: Organization

Tiny Tips: Emergency kits

I would also like to say welcome to all new followers! I hope y'all like my blog :)

All of my hard work has finally paid off. I got a new job. And, my etsy shop is donating $10.15 to the Oswego County Guinea Pig Rescue. It's not much but it's a start. For those of you who do not know, 15% of all my proceeds [before paying any etsy fees, etc] goes to the OCGPR and this is my first month of doing it. I will be donating to those fine swine indefinitely, so don't be bummed if you couldn't help this month. A clean slate starts tomorrow, and my goal for the month of august is $25.00 or more!

New stuff in, or coming soon to, my etsy shop includes Patchwork Piggy Pads, Double-Decker hammocks [great for peegs because they provide cover and multiple exits/entrances] and made-to-order all-fleece or all-flannel hammocks.

I am also hoping to make some listings this week for donations of goods at wholesale prices [40% off] to reputable rescues. But more on that later.

It is starting to be a real pain in the butt not having my own computer. I haven't been able to do much online lately because my roommate is doing a huge project for a memorial service for his grandmother that requires both the computers, the PS3, a portable DVD player, two VHS players, my camera and a tiny fan. Plus some other stuff that cost $500 that I don't know that it is. Technology.

But! He is out of the house all night so I will be posting a follow-up to the Cutting Back: Hay post and making a ton of listings on etsy momentarily. Jut wanted to let y'all know what was going on.

coming soon!

Hi all, a few things.

1.] I am changing Social Sunday posts. They will now be the second Sunday of every month, instead of weekly. I think that will give a chance for more people to read and respond to them, instead of them getting buried.

2.] I have spent all day today modifying the girls' cage and have just finished. Tomorrow and Wednesday are my days off so expect some serious posting, I have a lot of stuff to share.

3.] Sophie is back with the girls and standing up for herself. Her weight had gotten all the way down to 1lb. 3oz, and in just two weeks she is back up to 1lb. 8oz [her norm is between that and 2lbs]. She is displaying a lot of confidence and not taking guff from anybody.

4.] My pigs are finally back on fleece, after 60 straight days of newspaper bedding that I had to change every day. I have never seen so many zoomies, popcorns, lap-running... Natasha even laid down and rolled in the fleece like a dog.

5.] Winnie and Milo are about to be re-united after being apart for two weeks. Winnie's wounds and ego have healed completely, his appetite is good and he's more than ready to be out of the quarantine cage. I am building him a special loft that Milo can, but probably won't want to, get to. Then I am going to spray down the cage, change the bedding, buddy-bathe them and see what happens. Hopefully this works.

Just a quick little update before tomorrow:

Everyone is doing great! It has been rough but Sophie-Mo's weight is increasing at an encouraging weight, and she looks happier than ever.

I had intended to stick Tasha, Livvy and Mo with Winston and Milo. I have put this group together with great success in the past. But this time I decided that Mo couldn't handle the pestering of the boys. So I put her off on her own and just left Livvy and Tasha to the boys. Bad idea. I came home later that day to bloody pawprints and a very sad Winston. He is in the hospital cage now, and Ferdie, Laika, Tasha and Livvy are back together. Winston is healing very well, he has a gash under his chin and a cut on his foot. He's not bothering his bandage, which is just wonderful.

Coming up: Social Sunday no. 4, and later this week an introduction post for Milo if all goes well, a How Do You Do It post on organization.

Also, I got my first two Etsy sales a couple of days ago, hooray!

Much-needed update

Sorry for missing our fourth Social Sunday, folks. I was busy wondering why my bed was made of diced chicken and getting angry at Neptune for stealing my bathwater. Ehm.. I had a 103F fever.

Unfortunately, things are not well in the cavy world. Sophie-Mo has been getting bullied relentlessly by Laika. She has lost a bit of weight and just today I discovered a bald spot on her from where Laika has been pulling her hair out. We have run into this problem before, but never to this extent. I feel awful for not noticing this sooner, but Sophie is recovering quickly. I put her in a separate pen for 3-4 hours a couple of times a day so she can rest and have all she wants to eat. While I am at work I leave Mo with the herd and put Laika separate, to be sure that Mo isn't getting stressed by being away from them for so long. I am going to get her to the vet to be sure that she hasn't developed any health problems because of this.

I'm not crazy about splitting anyone up but if I absolutely must, I think that Mo, Olive, Winston and Milo will get along just fine, and Natasha sure as sugar doesn't put up with any

of Laika's crap, so she, Laika and Ferdie would be fine in a trio. The next time I clean cages I will try this setup. A 2x3 is not suitable for three girls long-term but it won't hurt for a couple of days or so, so I can see if it'll work between the boys and Livvy and Sophie.

That's what's happening in my neck of the woods. After a couple of doses of rice-water and honey, my fever/nausea/vomiting/headachey/hallucinationey-ness subsided. Hooray for natural remedies!

By the way, fi any of you have questions you'd like to submit for Social Sundays in the future, you can submit them here or at any Social Sunday post. They don't necessarily need to be about guinea pigs, the idea is to get to know each other a little better. I would like most of our Social Sundays to be about piggies though, because that is why we're all here, after all.

hang in there!

Hey folks,

This is a quick little update because I don't have time to put together the next installment of my episode-style posts. Here is what's going on in this small yellow house:

Sophie-Mo was rushed to the vet yesterday and treated for a Urinary Tract Infection. She has been increasingly lethargic and is not keeping weight on as well as the rest of my herd. We have determined also that she has either a build-up of scar tissue/irritated tissue from her spay, or an infection on/around her uterus stump. The pain from this was probably influencing how much she felt like moving.

In two weeks' time, when she is off the Baytril, we will be going back for a follow-up exam, and if she is still as lethargic as she was before the round of Baytril, we will be treating her for heart disease, which she is showing vague but early symptoms of.

I will soon be making updates to two of my past posts: Cutting Back: hay and How Do You Do It?!: veggies. When I make these changes they'll be noted in a new post.

Since we moved here I have dreamt of turning the guinea pigs' room into a free-range space. I have been to the home depot and my mother's cellar [where all of my scrap wood is], and it looks like I'll be able to fulfill that dream within the next couple of months.

I will be returning to Etsy this month! More on that story as it develops..

CALLING ALL READERS!

I want to hear from you guys! Even those of you without a blogspot account, you can comment under an Anonymous id--no registration required. Please let me know what of the following you'd like to see more of:

1.] Money-saving tips [Cutting Back]

2.] Care/Organization tips for herds large and small [How Do You Do It?!]

3.] Sneak Peeks/special offers on my etsy products for cavies and small animals

4.] Updates on home life in the yellow house [like this post]

5.] Share your ideas! Photo contests, Q&A posts, I'm open to anything! Please let me know what you'd like to see more of on this still-young blog.